Tamil film director slapped me publicly, but media reported the opposite, alleges actor Padmapriya

KOZHIKODE: Well-known South Indian actress Padmapriya on Tuesday shared a troubling experience from the set of a Tamil film several years ago, where a filmmaker slapped her in front of others.

Addressing a programme here, she said media reports at the time falsely claimed that she had slapped the director, and no one questioned why she complained to the film associations if that were true.

The 44-year-old actor noted that the incident reflects a broader issue where women's experiences are often dismissed or misrepresented.

Following the incident, the director was barred from making films for 6 months by the industry, but she stopped accepting roles in Tamil films afterwards.

She said till then, she did not have any "awful" experience on film sets.

Without mentioning the director's name, she said after the shooting was over, the director slapped her in front of everyone.

The actress, who has worked in a handful of Malayalam movies, highlighted the inequality faced by women professionals in the film industry.

Her words assume significance in the wake of shocking revelations in the Justice Hema Committee report, which sheds light on the harassment and exploitation faced by women in the Malayalam film industry.